Roller bearing axle construction



F 2 1942. 1v. BUCKWAL'TER Em 2, 1 ,187

ROLLER BEARING AXLE CONSTRUCTION Filed Sept. 26, 1941 2 sheets -sheet l F 1942- T. V. BUCKWALTER ETAL 2,274,187

ROLLER BEARING AXLE CONSTRUCTION I 2 Shets-Shee t 2 Filed Sept. 26, 1941 Patented Feb. 24, 1942' ROLLER, BEARING AXLE CONSTRUCTION Tracy V. Buckwalter, Massillon, and William P.

Cox, Canton, Ohio, assignors to The Timken Roller Bearing Company, Canton, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application September 26, 1941, Serial No. 412,354- Claims. (01. 308-180),

Our invention is animprovement in the type of axle shown in the application of William L.

Scribner, Serial No. 316,922, filed February '2, 1940, for Roller bearing axle construction, wherein taper roller bearings are mounted in a journal box of standard A. A. R. construction. The

invention has for its principal object to dispense with separate inner bearing members for both bearings of such construction, the axle itself being provided with two reversely tapered raceway portions for the bearing rollers. objects are to provide a housing for the bearings of such construction, to make the innermost series of bearing rollers'self-contained with the bearing cup, to increase the strength of the axle and to v simplify and improve the construction generally.-

The invention consists principally in providing,

the axle itself with two reversely tapered raceway Further These walls are provided with oval openings 1 and 8 through which extends the reduced end portion of an axle 9. The outermost or journal portion of said axle includes an outwardly tapering raceway portion ID for an innermost-series of tapered bearing rollers H and an outermost raceway portion |2 that tapers inwardly (that is, reversely to the taper of the innermost raceway l0) on which is mounted an outermost series of tapered bearing rollers l3. The raceway-portions are preferably hardened by any suitable means or method. The

, outermost bearing rollers l3 are of larger diameter than the innermost rollers I I.

A double bearing cup I4 is provided with raceways I5 and I6 for cooperation with the two series of bearing rollers II and I3. Said cup is provided with an integral internal thrust rib I! for the innermost series of bearing rollers H and with a portions for tapered bearing rollers, in providing a split housing for the bearings and in making i the innermost bearing rollers self-contained with the bearing cup. The invention further consists in the roller bearing axle construction and in the parts. and combinations, and arrangements of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, wherein lik reference characters indicate like parts wherever they occur, 3

Fig. 1 is an end view of a roller bearing railway car axle construction embodying my invention,

Fig. 2 is a sectional view on the line 2-2 in Fig. 1,

Fig. 3 is a sectional view on the line 3--3 in Fig. 2, Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional view on the lin 4 inr'ig.2, y Fig. 5 is an inner end elevation'oi the upper half of the bearing housing,

Fig. 6 is an inner end elevation half of said bearing housing; and

, ciation of American "Railroads and whose upper portion is integral with a truck side frame memher 2. I The outermost end of the journal box is provided with an opening 3 which is normally: covered by a suitable closure cap (not shown in the drawings), said cap being hingedly mounted on a lug l on the top of the journal box.

The innermost end of the journal boxhas spaced walls 5 to accommodate a sealing ring 6.

of the lower separate thrust rib I8 for the outermost series of bearing rollers l3. 'Ihe innermost rollers II are provided with a cage I9 disposed radially inward of the center line of the rollers, thereby making the rollers self-contained with the cup It. The outermost rollers l3 provided with a cage 20 making'aself-contained unit with the rollers l3 themselves. r

Said double cup I4. is mounted in a bearing housing comprising an upper member 2| and a lower member 22 having projecting lugs 23 at their outermost ends that are secured together by bolts 24 and nuts 25. An internal shoulder 26 is provided in the upper housing member 2| to form a seat for the thrust rib l8. A closure ring 21 that has an. inner grooved sleeve portion 28 sealing the axle has an outer sleeve portion 29 fitting over a reduced end portion 30 or rib on the bearing cup It, the outside dimensions of said sleeve portion 29 being the same as the outside dimensions .of the cup H. The upper bearing housing member 2| has a downturnedrib or lip 3| engaging the' end of said closure member 21. The lower bearin'g housing member 22 has an upturned rib 32 at its innermost end with an inwardly bent lip 33 engaging the inner periphery of a rib 34 on the closure member 21-.

A member 35 similar to the usual wedgeof a plain bearing axle construction has its upper surface 36 convexly curved endwise and has a projecting outermost end portion 31 to cooperate with a pair of thrust lugs 38 in the top of the journal box. Said wedge member 35 is concavely curved transversely tb fit said'upper bearing housing 2|.

innermost end of the upper bearing housing 2| Y Said wedge 35 has downwardly projecting ribs 39 at the ends to cooperate with the and with a shoulder 40 formed by the reduced outer end 4! of said upper bearing housing 2|.

The journal box i has an inwardly projecting boss 42 or lug nearthe top of each side and the wedge 35 has a lug A3 on each side, disposed outwardly of said journal box lugs 42 for cooperation therewith.

The above described construction has numerous advantages. Tapered bearing rollers may be used instead of the plain bearings ordinarily required in the standard A. A. R. journal box construction. Both rollers run directly on the axle, thereby eliminating the inner bearing member which is usually required and making a stronger axle construction. The bearing housing facilitates the lubrication of the bearing, since a smaller lubricant chamber is provided. When the bearings are to be removed, the bearing housing may be separated, and the lower bearing housing removed by releasing the securing lip. This will permit the removal of the upper bearing housing and the outermost series of bearing rollers, after which the bearing cup may be removed, carrying with it the innermost series of bearing rollers. V

The largest diameter of the outermost raceway (at the outermost end of the axle) is smaller than the circle defined by the small ends of the innermost series of bearing rollers. innermost bearing rollers may be removed with the bearing cup, passing freely over the outermost end of the axle.

Obviously numerous changes may be mad without departing from the invention and we do not wish to be limited to the shown.

What we claim is: i Q 1. A car axle construction comprising an axle having a tapering raceway portion and a reversely tapering raceway portion adjacent thereto and outwardly thereof, a journal box into which said axle extends, tapered bearing rollers on said tapering raceway portions of said axle, a double bearing cup having raceways for the respective rollers, a bearing housing in which said bearing having a tapering raceway portion and a reverse- 1y tapering raceway portion adjacent thereto and outwardly thereof, a journal box into which said axle extends, tapered bearing rollers on said tapering raceway portions of said axle, a double. bearing cup having raceways for therespective rollers. a closure ring secured to the innermost end of said bearing cup and sealing said. axle, a

-bearing housing in which said bearing cup is mounted, 'saidhousing comprising upper. and

lower parts with meeting outer end portions se cured together and forming a closure at the outermost end of the bearings and a wedge member interposed between said housing and the top of said journal box, said wedge having downwardly extending projections at its ends for cooperation, with the ends of said housing. and said wedge-and sia'id journal box having cooperating 'lugs on their s des.

3. A car axle construction comprising an axle having a tapering raceway portion and a reverseprecise construction Thus said rollers, a closu -ly tapering raceway portion adjacent thereto and outwardly thereof, a journal box into which said axle extends, tapered bearing rollers on said tapering raceway portions of said axle, a double bearing 0 V having raceways for the respective ring on the innermost end of said cup sealing s d axle, a bearing housing having upper and lower parts in which said bearing cup is mounted, the outermost ends of said housupper housing parts, and said wedge and said journal box having cooperating lugs on their sides.

a 4. A car axle construction comprising an axle having a tapering raceway portion and a reversei-y tapering raceway portion adjacent thereto and outwardly thereof, a journal box into which said axle extends, tapered bearing rollers on said tapering raceway portions of said axle, a double bearing cup having raceways for the respective rollers, a separable thrust rib for the outermost rollers and a fixed thrust rib for the innermost rollers, a cage for the innermost series of rollers disposed radially inwardly of the outer lines of the rollers making them self-contained with said bearing cup, a bearinghousing in which said bearing cup is mounted, said housing having upper and lower separable parts and a wedge'member interposed between said housing and the top of said journal box, said wedge having downwardly extending rprojections at its ends for cooperation'with the ends of said housing, and

said wedge and said journal box having cooperatling lugs on their sides.

5. A car axle construction comprising an axle having a tapering raceway portion and a reversely tapering raceway portion adjacent thereto and outwardly thereof, a journal box into which said axle extends, tapered bearing rollers on said racewayportions of said axle, a double bearing cup having raceways' for the respective rollers, aid cup having an integral internal thrust rib for the innermost rollers, a thrust rib for the outermost rollers mounted at the end of said cup, a closure ring. at the innermost end of said bearing-cup,

a,bearing housing having separable upper and lower parts in' which said bearing cup is mounted,

, said upper housing part having an internal shoulder against which said separate thrust rib abuts, said lower housing part having an internal shoulder spaced outwardly beyond said shoulder in said upper part, said housing parts being secured together, said upper housing par'thaving a down- .turned rib at its innermost end overlapping said member interposed between said upper housing 3 part and said journal box, said wedge having downwardly extending projections at its ends for cooperation with the ends of said upper housing part and said wedge and said journal box having cooperating lugs on their sides.

" TRACY v. IBUCKWAL'I'ER.

WILLIAM P. cox. 

